Day 1 - Eggs are here!

Today is Day 1 of our Chick Hatching Experience! This is the second year that the Mooresville Public Library's Youth Department has hatched chicks. Most of us are really excited (from his blog, I gather that Cauli, our Library Cat Blogger, is egg-cited too...see more from Cauli here: Cauli's Blog) although it is definitely a big responsibility and parts of it can make us a little anxious.




First you need an incubator.

We are borrowing one from a local patron who has a flock of chickens at her two acre home. The incubator provides a perfect environment for the development of eggs into birds, that is, when is it properly supervised. It has to be set at 99.5 degrees and have the proper amount of humidity in the air as well (about 60%). So, as long as we add the right amount of water and watch that temperature, we should have a good hatch. Our incubator is equipped with a turner which is also imperative. If you don't have a turner, you have to manually turn the eggs...a lot.

Next you need fertilized eggs.

We have 41 eggs in our incubator. We got our eggs from three families who raise chickens. They are all coded so we know who we got them from and will be able to differentiate them from each other later on. We are hoping for 20 chicks this year. Last year we hatched 14. We will have a better idea how good we are doing once we candle the eggs next week. Candeling actually uses a flashlight. Last year we did this in the men's restroom (no windows!). You hold the egg above the flashlight and look for dark masses inside the egg. If it is completely clear, the egg either wasn't fertilized or something else prevented it from developing. Sometimes you can see the tiny mass swimming around in its egg.


Lastly you need lots of care.

We will be checking on our eggs many times a day. We have to check to make sure the humidity is right, the temperature is right, and make sure the turner is still turning. We have 21 days to prepare for the chicks and I'm sure it will go fast!

Be aware, I'm just a Children's Librarian! Please don't use this blog as a guide to hatch your own chicks. We have books at the library for that or you can check out these websites:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/di0631.html

http://umaine.edu/publications/2072e/

http://www.backyardchickens.com/